1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for making pizza. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pizza making machine that makes pizza from a fresh slice of dough. The slice of dough is partially cooked before any toppings are placed thereon. The toppings, including, for example, sauce, cheese, pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, etc., are placed on top of the preheated pizza dough in a manner that mimics the way pizza is made by hand.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,677 to LeClaire et al. discloses a pizza making and baking machine which includes a plurality of stacks of pans. Each pan has a precooked crust disposed therein. The stacks of pans are stored on a conveyor at the top of a refrigerator cabinet and are moveable to a pan dispensing station. After a pan is dispensed from the pan dispensing station, it moves to a first station where a layer of sauce is applied to the crust by a sauce dispenser. The next station is a cheese dispensing station, which dispenses mozzarella cheese onto the crust and sauce. This station is followed by a meat product dispensing station. The meat product dispensing station is followed by a number of vegetable dispensing stations, which may dispense products such as olives, mushrooms, onions, peppers, etc. onto the pre-cooked pizza crust. After the pan has passed the last dispenser it moves onto the platform of an elevator mechanism. The elevator lowers the pan either to the level of a countertop (to deliver an uncooked pizza) or to the level of an oven entrance, depending on whether the customer wishes to have an uncooked pizza or a cooked pizza. If the customer chooses to have a cooked pizza, the pan moves through the oven on a conveyor belt. The oven includes a number of independently heated zones such that the cooking is tailored to the combination selected by the customer. The cooked pizza is then pushed out of the oven onto a further platform. This platform is raised to the level of a cook delivery shelf and the cooked pizza is pushed onto the shelf. Thereafter, the customer can remove the cooked pizza.
The '677 patent utilizes crusts which are precooked and therefore do not provide a product that tastes like a fresh cooked pizza. Additionally, the toppings are not placed on top of the pizza crust in the same manner in which a handmade pizza is made. For example, the sauce is peristalticly pumped through a tube 84 and dispensed onto the crust (see FIG. 6 of the '677 patent). Thereafter, a spread roller 32 is lowered to engage the top of the crust and rotates over the top surface of the crust to spread the sauce on top of the crust. Such an apparatus for dispensing sauce is extremely unclean and results in sauce continuing to drip from roller 32 long after the roller has been moved to the retracted position.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for making pizza from a fresh slice of dough in a manner which substantially mimics the way in which pizza is made by hand so that the cooked pizza tastes like pizza that is made by hand.
Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for making pizza that is relatively clean during use and is relatively maintenance free.